Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A 49-year-old man from Wallerawang was sentenced on three animal cruelty charges at Lithgow Local Court on 16 June 2011. He had pleaded guilty at an earlier Court appearance to abandoning an animal, failing to provide proper and sufficient food and failing to provide veterinary treatment.

His aged male Terrier cross breed dog was found abandoned at a local tip on 1 March 2010. Upon veterinary examination the emaciated dog was found to have wounds to the face and hips, a large swelling under his neck and an umbilical hernia. During an interview on 21 April 2010, the offender admitted that he had not sought veterinary treatment for the dog and had dumped him at the local tip.

The offender was convicted and ordered to perform 70 hours community service for abandoning the dog. He was given a S9 twelve month good behaviour bond and fined $500 for each of the food and veterinary charges. He has been prohibited from owning any animal for ten years and was ordered to present to Police for fingerprinting.

He was also ordered to pay $854.35 veterinary/boarding costs (total fines $1,000; total costs $854.35).

Friday, June 17, 2011

Photo taken 1 July 2010 - calf found barely alive in plastic container

A local Horsley Park man appeared at Fairfield Local Court on Tuesday 14 June 2011. He pleaded guilty to 22 charges of animal cruelty relating to over 40 cattle.

RSPCA Inspectors visited the mans property on numerous occasions between May and September 2010 in response to complaints about the welfare of his cattle. On five occasions, charges were laid for offences committed under the NSW Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. These included failure to provide proper and sufficient food (three counts), failure to provide veterinary treatment (ten counts) and failure to exercise reasonable care of an animal to prevent the commission of an act of cruelty (seven counts).

Two charges of aggravated cruelty were laid in relation to a cow with cancerous tumour of the eye and a calf found barely alive in a plastic crate with no food or water. Both animals required euthanasia after veterinarians deemed them cruel to be kept alive.

The man was fined $50 for each offence. He was ordered to pay $79 Court costs and $2,804.43 veterinary costs. The Magistrate ordered the man could possess a maximum of 85 head of cattle (total fines $1,100; total costs $2,883.43).

As the NSW Blues and QLD Maroons battle it out on the field tomorrow, RSPCA NSW and RSPCA QLD keep the competition heated off-field with their annual State of Adoption challenge.

Paying tribute to State of Origin, RSPCA’s State of Adoption challenge aims to rehome as many Shelter animals as possible during the State of Origin Series.

Game Two marks the midway point for the interstate competition, and NSW is working hard to gain the lead.

“At this stage, Queensland is in the lead – both on and off the field,” said RSPCA NSW CEO Steve Coleman. “But RSPCA NSW is optimistic and we hope to make a comeback in the coming weeks.”

At last week’s tally, RSPCA QLD was ahead with 493 adoptions to RSPCA NSW’s 436. RSPCA NSW is urging potential pet owners to adopt from RSPCA Shelters throughout the state in hopes of surpassing their QLD rivals. A total tally will be taken and the winning state will be announced on 6 July. All potential adopters will undergo the regular screening procedures before taking their new family member home.

“It’s all in the name of friendly competition,” said Mr Coleman. “The real winners are the thousands of animals who will find new, loving homes as a result.”

Why adopt a pet from the RSPCA?

All animals available for adoption have been health-checked, behaviour assessed, microchipped, vaccinated, wormed, flea treated and desexed, as appropriate.

Friday, June 10, 2011

A local Padstow woman was sentenced for animal cruelty at Bankstown Local Court yesterday.

At an earlier Court appearance, the woman pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to provide veterinary treatment to her female cattle dog.

An RSPCA Inspector seized the dog for urgent veterinary examination on 15 March 2010 after responding to a complaint about the dog's welfare. The Inspector found the dog in her yard, debilitated and unable to stand. The resulting urine scalding at the rear of her body had become flyblown, causing flesh wounds from maggot infestations. The veterinarian described the dog's flea burden as severe. The dog was deemed cruel to be kept alive and humanely euthanased.

The woman was convicted of both charges and fined a total of $6,000.00. She was ordered to pay $79.00 Court costs.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

RSPCA Australia and Animals Australia have welcomed the announcement today by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to suspend the live cattle trade to Indonesia. The announcement follows a nationwide outpouring of rage at the airing of footage showing cattle being brutalised and tortured on ABC’s Four Corners.

For the second time in six years, an investigation by Animals Australia has exposed the brutal treatment of exported cattle and forced the Federal government to take action. Today’s announcement of the suspension of the live trade to Indonesia follows the 2006 suspension of the live trade to Egypt.

"From the first moment of viewing this footage, I knew that suspending the trade was the only appropriate response from the government”, said RSPCA Australia Chief Scientist Dr Bidda Jones.

“While we are relieved at this announcement, it should not be forgotten that some 100,000 Australian cattle currently in Indonesia will face the same brutal treatment. The government must immediately put inspectors in Indonesian slaughterhouses to provide these animals with at least some protection"

"If successive Australian governments had proper oversight of this industry, these cattle and the six million previously exported to Indonesia, would not have faced the horrors of Indonesian slaughterhouses.

"If the Prime Minister didn't realise it before, she now has irrefutable evidence that the live export industry cannot be trusted. Not even MLA's own constituents are accepting their claims that they didn't know what was occurring in Indonesia. This is an industry that has made misleading the government, public and farmers an art form and animals has suffered immeasurably as a result," said Lyn White, Animals Australia Campaign Director and cruelty investigator.

"For years, this industry supplied animals to Egypt knowing they would be brutalised and now they have been exposed as complicit in Indonesia by supplying animals to the most brutal treatment imaginable and facilitating that treatment through the installation of cruel restraint devices.

"Over the past week, Australians have voiced their overwhelming outrage and disapproval of the live trade and the government's failure to take urgent action. The only way the Gillard government will redeem itself in the eyes of the public will be to support legislation soon to be introduced into the Federal parliament to end live export. RSPCA Australia and Animals Australia will continue our national campaign calling for an end to all live exports. " said Ms White.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Lyn White from Animals Australia was interviewed over the weekend for Sunrise. The launch of the ads were during "Downtown Abby" last night on Channel 7. Lyn is the Communications Director for AA. She is recognised and respected as one of Australia's foremost animal advocates and animal cruelty investigators.

In March 2011, Lyn visited 10 abattoirs in four Indonesian cities to document the treatment and slaughter of Australian cattle. RSPCA Australia conducted a full scientific assessment of the evidence from this investigation. The evidence is damning and again shows the willingness of live exporters to supply Australian animals overseas, regardless of how cruelly they will be treated.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Photos taken on day of seizure 25 January 2011 (note ears affected by fly bite dermatitis)

A local Bidwell man appeared at Mount Druitt Local Court Thursday, 26 May 2011. He was charged with one count of failing to provide proper and sufficient food and three counts of failing to provide veterinary treatment to his female Rottweiler crossbreed dog.

An RSPCA Inspector seized the dog on 25 January 2011 after responding to a report about her poor condition. The subsequent veterinary examination scored the dog's body condition as very underweight. The dog's ears were ulcerated and crusting from fly bite dermatitis, her hind dew claws were growing into the pads on her feet and she was infested with fleas. The veterinarian estimated that there was a failure to provide the dog with adequate nutrition for at least three weeks. The dog gained three kilograms within two weeks of RSPCA care.

The man pleaded guilty to all four charges. He was convicted and fined $700. He was also ordered to pay $79 Court costs and $2,531.26 veterinary/boarding costs. After considering his history and current circumstances, the dog was returned to the owner by the Magistrate.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Gorilla was hanging out with his girlfriend in Scone, NSW when he flew across the road and was accidentally hit by a car. The car driver couldn’t see him and so kept driving on to Brisbane. Sadly for Gorilla he was stuck in the grill of the car and couldn’t get loose. He was brought to the RSPCA Queensland wildlife hospital as soon as he was discovered. Miraculously he only had a tiny cut on his shoulder.

He is now ready to go and needs a lift home! The other kookaburras in care with us are all Queenslanders and want this NSW-welshman back in his own territory before the next big state of origin game! He is hearing a lot of sledging from his birdy friends that are ruffling his feathers. If you can help him get home to Scone NSW (about 8.5hrs south of Brisbane) then let us know as soon as possible so we can send him back to his girlfriend!

Alternatively, if you can’t take him but have a spare $240, then you could sponsor his flight home instead - our one goal is simple. Get Gorilla over the border to re-unite him with his love!

UPDATE: Thank you to all the wonderful Facebookers who helped us raise the money to get him back home! And thank you to RSPCA NSW for helping us spread Gorilla's message. He will now be preparing for his flight back to your State - we will make sure we video his release to everyone can 'be there' on the big day! RSPCA QLD

We recently received a letter from a fantastic volunteer who spent the 2011 Million Paws Walk with Duchess - a gorgeous Sharpei from our Sydney Yagoona Shelter. Like many of her mates at the shelter, she was brought to the Sydney Million Paws Walk and was made available for adoption on the day at the Million Paws Walk adoption tent. Numerous volunteers kindly gave up their time to walk the adoption dogs and give them every opportunity to be adopted out to their "fur"ever home.
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Hello,

It was lovely to meet and walk beautiful Duchess at the Million Paws Walk last weekend. We did not anticipate that she would be so well behaved and calm! A couple of other dogs at the walk got a little grizzly with her (as they can do!) but she never snapped back in the entire 5 or so hours we spent with her. Not even when one particularly naughty dog took a treat right out of her mouth! She walked amazingly well on her lead (no pulling) and was just a beautiful, affectionate girl who even got on our laps for a cuddle when we were having a break after the walk, just like a cat.

We both really fell in love with her and if we only had a yard, we would have definitely taken her home ourselves :(

We would really appreciate it if you could update us on how she is going and when she finds a home. She is a very special girl and deserves nothing but the best.

Thanks again for giving us an opportunity to help out yesterday, we had a really fun time and all the staff were just lovely.

Despite the Gillard Government now being fully aware of the brutal treatment that Australian cattle will receive in Indonesian slaughterhouses and being inundated by Australians calling for them to halt the trade to Indonesia, they are allowing a further three shipments of cattle to depart for Indonesia in coming days.

"A shipment left Darwin yesterday for Indonesia and another two shipments are due to commence loading in Broome today. This is absolutely disgraceful and makes the Gillard Government directly complicit in animal cruelty," said Animals Australia Cruelty Investigator Lyn White.

"The first thing that Minister Ludwig would have asked this week is what shipments were on the water for Indonesia and what were due to leave. He should have seen that the industry was stockpiling cattle in Indonesia, fearful of the political repercussions of the Four Corners programme."

Four of the largest livestock ships that ply the Australian trade and usually go to the middle East just happen to be in Indonesia at the moment. Two other shipments departed yesterday and another two are loading today.

"By allowing animals to be rushed onto these ships the Gillard Government is now responsible for condemning up to thousands of more animals to a cruel and brutal death in Indonesia," said RSPCA Australia Chief Scientist Dr Bidda Jones.

"Up until now the Government could use the excuse that they didn't know, but this is no longer available to them. They are now complicit in supplying animals to cruelty. It is unforgivable that they would allow further shipments of cattle to leave our shores knowing that they will be terrorised, brutalised and even tortured in Indonesian slaughterhouses."

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About us

The RSPCA - The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - is Australia's pre-eminent animal welfare organisation. We provide a strong voice for animals experiencing cruelty and neglect. The RSPCA is not a government agency and receives only a very small amount of funding from the Government. We rely on the generosity of the community and our own fundraising initiatives to fund our vital work.